E350 motorhome ignition issue
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E350 motorhome ignition issue
Hi, I'm new, need help.
I have a '78 E350 frontier motorhome, believe it to be a 460 with an automatic. Only 12000 original kms, (7200 miles), it has been sitting for years, stinks under the hood like old gas. Runs good after I replaced the fuel filter and ran a new starter solenoid ground.
Anyway, have issues starting. Turn the key to ignition, brake light lights up like usual, then turn it to crank position - everything dies. Like it blew a breaker or something. Seems to go back to normal after a random amount of time having the battery posts off. But yields the same result.
I've switched starter solenoids, no help. I have 12v at the solenoid in the crank position.
Please help
I have a '78 E350 frontier motorhome, believe it to be a 460 with an automatic. Only 12000 original kms, (7200 miles), it has been sitting for years, stinks under the hood like old gas. Runs good after I replaced the fuel filter and ran a new starter solenoid ground.
Anyway, have issues starting. Turn the key to ignition, brake light lights up like usual, then turn it to crank position - everything dies. Like it blew a breaker or something. Seems to go back to normal after a random amount of time having the battery posts off. But yields the same result.
I've switched starter solenoids, no help. I have 12v at the solenoid in the crank position.
Please help
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 786
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Check all of your battery cable connections. Don't just look at them - take them apart and clean them. Also check the cables themselves. Do some serious pulling and yanking. Corrosion can wick up the strands and do wonderful things under the jacket.
Lead Driver
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 6,298
Likes: 47
From: South central, Minnesota
It could also be a bad fuse-able link. That would be one of the smaller wires that hook to the starter solenoid on the battery side large post.
It could be a bad ignition switch. The 78 should still have the switch in the left side of the dash, right ( by headlight switch ) ? If it does you might want to pull the switch and check it and the connector. Pull the connector off and check the switch with a multi-meter. You can also check the connector for power.
If it wasn't dropping power but just wasn't turning over it could also be a bad neutral safety switch.
It could be a bad ignition switch. The 78 should still have the switch in the left side of the dash, right ( by headlight switch ) ? If it does you might want to pull the switch and check it and the connector. Pull the connector off and check the switch with a multi-meter. You can also check the connector for power.
If it wasn't dropping power but just wasn't turning over it could also be a bad neutral safety switch.
More Turbo
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 623
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I second the bad connections. I have had the exact same symptoms with a bad battery connection. My cable had a bolt-on battery terminal, and the cable had corroded under the bolt-down plate. Everything looked and felt solid, but it wasn't. Enough juice to run lights and buzzers, but try to start and everything goes dead.
Steve
Steve
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Laughing Gas
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First of all, thanks to everyone who replied.
I played with it this afternoon and somehow got it to work. Problem is I'm not sure what I did. I replaced the starter solenoid after failed testing of the old one. After I changed it, the problem still existed. Tested the fusible link, had continuity with no resistance. And went under and had a look at the starter. Somewhere along the line I inadvertently found the problem.
I'm going to replace the positive between the battery and solenoid (which I believe to be the problem), the fusible link and the positive from the solenoid to the starter.
Can anyone tell me where the transmission kick down connects to on the engine?
Thanks
I played with it this afternoon and somehow got it to work. Problem is I'm not sure what I did. I replaced the starter solenoid after failed testing of the old one. After I changed it, the problem still existed. Tested the fusible link, had continuity with no resistance. And went under and had a look at the starter. Somewhere along the line I inadvertently found the problem.
I'm going to replace the positive between the battery and solenoid (which I believe to be the problem), the fusible link and the positive from the solenoid to the starter.
Can anyone tell me where the transmission kick down connects to on the engine?
Thanks
Ford Parts Specialist
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 88,826
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From: Simi Valley, CA
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